To Have and to Hold Sequel to Cherished
by Chanel101
Summary: This is the sequel to Cherished. Serena and Mark had been married for four years and have moved away from Dallas. Will Eric show up and try to ruin their marriage? Or will other things come into play?
1. Prolouge

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Stone Cold Steve Austin or anything else that relates to the WWE. Thank you.

**To Have and To Hold**

**Prologue**

"Anya, sweetie it's time to get up." I said as I gently shook my daughter. She started moving around and then finally opened her eyes and smiled at me.

"Good morning mommy," she said, showing off her little teeth through a pretty smile.

"Good morning sunshine, did you get a nice sleep?" I asked her as I picked her up and sat her on my lap. She was five now with long light brown hair and those green eyes she apparently stole from her dad.

She nodded her head, "Yea, I had a dream about daddy."

"Really? What happened in your dream?"

She smiled brightly, "Well I had a dream that he was home whenever I woke up and he took me to school and he picked me up."

I smiled at her. She had missed Mark so much since he left to go on tour with the WWE. Every now and then he had called and told her that he would be home soon but he never actually told us when. So far he had been gone three weeks and I wasn't planning on seeing him for at least another week.

"That is definitely a great dream baby," I told her as I ran my fingers threw her long hair.

She frowned and then hugged me, "I miss daddy mommy,"

"Awe I miss him too baby, but don't worry he will be coming back soon ok?"

She looked up at me, "Promise?"

"Promise."

"Are you going to tell him about the new baby too?"

I laughed and then put a hand down on my belly. It was true, I was at least one month pregnant and I didn't get the chance to tell Mark yet.

"You were listening to my conversation with your godmother weren't you?"

She shrugged, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

"Oh yea? Well what if I tickled it out of you?" I told her as I tickled her sides. She hollered out in many giggles while kicking and screaming.

"Ok! Ok! I was listening!" She said.

I stopped tickling her , "Alright then, now let's go have some breakfast."

"Yay!" she squealed as she hopped down from my lap and ran out into the hallway.

I loved my little girl so much and seeing her smile always put joy into my heart. Anyways, Mark and I decided to move away from Dallas so that Eric could stop following us. We moved here to San Antonio, Texas which wasn't far from Dallas. We had been living here for three months now and it was a much nicer house than the last one. At the moment however, I just wished that Mark was here so my daughter wouldn't be so sad.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: **_**Home at Last**_

"Mommy can I have pancakes today?" Anya asked me when we got into the kitchen. She sat down at the small table that I bought her when she was old enough to walk.

"You can if you tell me what two plus two is."

She thought about it for a minute and then replied, "Four!"

"Very good," I told her. "Now what kind of pancakes do you want?"

"Chocolate chip please,"

"You got it," I said as I pulled out the ingredients I needed for her pancakes. While I fixed her pancakes she colored a few pictures in her sketch pad while humming a song to herself. I noticed that she had a thing for drawing her own pictures and most of them were pretty damn good. Her best pictures were of flowers. Who knew a five year old would be so good at detailing her work?

The phone started ringing about a few minutes before I started mixing the pancake dough.

"Hello?" I said when I picked it up.

"Hey baby," Mark said.

I gasped, "Hey honey how are you doing?"

"I'm alright just missing you and Anya." He said.

I smiled, "Awe we miss you too. When do you think you'll be home?"

He chuckled, "That's a surprise pup,"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes I'm serious why?"

I sighed, "Well I have a surprise of my own when you come home."

"You do? That sounds interesting."

"Oh stop, it's not what you think," I said as I placed the first pancake on the skillet.

"What are you doing?"

"Making chocolate chip pancakes for your daughter." I said as I looked back at her.

He laughed, "You never make those for me…"

"You never asked," I giggled.

"Well can I get some when I come home?"

"Sure,"

"Well where is the little one anyway?" he asked.

"Sitting at her table drawing pictures, "

"Let me talk to her."

I smiled and then turned to look at Anya. "Hey sweetie someone's on the phone for you."

She hopped up and quickly ran to get the phone from me. I put the phone on speakerphone and then told her to say hello.

"Hello?" she said sweetly.

"Hey sweetheart," Mark said.

She gasped, "Daddy!"

He chuckled, "What are you up to?"

"Drawing pictures," she said.

"Oh well are you being good for mommy?"

"Uh-huh, she is making me pancakes because I answered a math question right."

"Is that so? Well why don't I get any pancakes?"

She laughed, "Daddy you're not here,"

"I know but I want some too,"

She giggled, "Well if you come home now you can have some."

As soon as she said that, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it." I said as I hurried to the door.

"I wonder who that could be," Mark said.

When I opened the door I was shocked to see Mark standing there with the cell phone to his ear. I gasped and then turned to see if Anya was paying attention.

"Daddy, are you still there?" she said into the phone.

I cleared my throat so she would look in my direction. When she did, a big smile stretched across her face and she ran to jump into Mark's arms. "Daddy! Daddy!"

"Hey princess," he said as he scooped her up and hugged her tightly.

"I missed you a lot daddy," she cried.

"Well I missed you more," he said.

She giggled and then he put her down so she could go back to her table. He smiled at her and then turned his attention to me. "Come here miss thang,"

I smiled and then wrapped my arms around his neck. He brought his lips to mine and we shared a long overdue kiss. "I missed you." He said.

"I missed you too." I told him. "Do you need help with your bags?"

"No, you just go finish making those pancakes and I'll take care of this."

He kissed me again and then went out to the porch to get his things. Once he was done, he joined me and Anya in the dining room for some breakfast.

"Daddy guess what?" Anya said.

"What?"

"I learned how to add while you were away." She told him.

He smiled at me and then looked at her. "Really?"

"Uh-huh,"

"Well what's five plus five?"

She counted on her fingers and replied, "Ten!"

"Good girl, I guess my little princess is smart then." She nodded her head and then got up and handed him a picture.

"This is for you daddy, I made mommy one yesterday."

He looked at the picture of the daisy and then leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Thanks sweetie I love it."

"You're welcome,"

I looked down at my watch, "Um Anya honey you better go get ready for school."

"_Awe_ do I have to?"

"Yes you do, honey. Do you need help picking out something?" I asked.

She shook her head and then turned to go upstairs. When she was completely up the stairs Mark leaned over and kissed me passionately. "You are doing a great job with her."

"Thank you baby." I told him. "She's missed you a lot more than you think."

"Hm, I can tell. She's very talkative," he said.

I smiled, "Well she can't help herself."

"I know, now about this surprise you had…?"

I bit my bottom lip and then took his hand and placed it on my belly. He looked up at me with a big smile, "Are you serious?"

I nodded my head, "Thanks to that lovely night the week before you left…"

"So you're about a month ahead then?"

"yep,"

"Well I'm happy; we'll have to celebrate when Anya goes to school."

I laughed and then kissed him.

The school bus pulled up in front of our house at 8:30am. Anya hugged and kissed us both and then skipped happily to the bus. As soon as the bus pulled off, Mark scooped me up and carried me into the house and then upstairs to our bedroom. He stripped me down and then himself before proceeding to make love to every inch of my body. I guess you can say that this was the best way to show someone you missed them. I sure wasn't complaining. When we were done, we just laid in the bed for awhile and he told me about his wild adventure out with the other wrestlers and divas.

"Some of the girls want to meet you. They are huge fans of your brother."

I laughed,"That's probably why they want to meet me."

"True, but I think it would be good for you."

I laid my head on his chest, "I'll think about it."

"Good," he said before kissing me on my forehead. "What time does Anya get out of school?"

"In two hours why?"

"I want to pick her up and take her to chucky cheese today."

"Ok sounds good."

He smiled, "Do you think Kayleigh would let me take her son?"

I looked up at him like he had lost his mind. The last time he had taken Kayleigh's son Criss out…he taught him how to wrestle and now that's all he does at home.

Mark laughed, "Come on she can't still be upset about that."

"She's not but you will have to take that up with her and Sam." I said.

"I will. Oh yea and Dwayne told me that Rachel is pregnant."

I smiled, "That's right. Me and her are exactly one month pregnant and due on the same day."

"Are you kidding me?" he asked.

"Nope. Apparently you and Dwayne think alike."

He laughed and kissed my forehead again, "We didn't plan this I swear."

"Sure you didn't."

We shared a laugh and then started talking about other things. I was so happy to have my man back in my arms where he belongs.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

As promised Mark and I picked Anya up from school and then headed over to Kayleigh's to scoop up Jordan, her four year old son. When we pulled up, Kayleigh was sitting on her porch try to finish tying Jordan's shoes. He looked so much like Sam only he had Kayleigh's red hair and brown eyes. He was almost as tall as Anya but she was slightly taller. I was just glad that the two of them got along so well.

When she was done with his shoes she walked him to the truck and helped him inside.

"Hey girl," I said.

"Hey boo, how are you two doing?" she asked as she fastened Jordan's car seat.

"We are good…are you alright?" Mark asked.

I thought I was the only one that noticed but Kayleigh looked really sick. Most of the color was gone from her face and she looked skinner than normal.

"I'm fine, just not feeling too well today." She said as Jordan hugged her and kissed her cheek.

"Bye mommy," he said.

"See you later baby, make sure you're good for Mark and Serena ok?"

Jordan nodded and then turned his attention to Anya.

"How long are you guys going to be gone?" she asked as she shut Jordan's door and then came to my window.

"Probably until eight if that's alright." I told her.

"Yea that's fine; he'll probably be tired by then. I need to lie down honestly."

Mark looked at her suspiciously, "Yea you should…where is Sam?"

She shrugged, "I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"Wow, well if he isn't back by time we get back I'll help you look for him alright?" Mark said.

She nodded, "Thanks Mark. I'm really worried."

"No problem hun, now you go get some rest."

She smiled and then gave me the signal to text her. I nodded and then watched as she walked back to the house.

"Where do you think he could be?" I asked as we pulled off.

Mark sighed, "I'm not too sure, let's talk about it later though." He said as he looked into the rearview mirror at the children.

I agreed and then fell silent as we rode down to the Chucky Cheese. When we got there I was surprised to see Kayla working down there. She smiled brightly and came over to hug us, that's when I noticed her pregnant belly.

"Wow wow wow….how long have you been pregnant?" I asked.

She sighed, "Six months, I was going to tell you guys but Steve wanted me to wait and surprise you."

"Well this is one hell of a surprise." Mark said. "He didn't even tell me."

She giggled and then showed us all to our seats. Mark ordered us all fruit punch and a large pizza. Kayla gave the kids some tokens and then left to get our drinks and the pizza.

"You guys can go play until the food comes." I told them.

"Ok," they said. "Come on Jordan,"

We both smiled watching Anya play with Jordan. She was so attentive to him…almost like she seen him as her little brother. Mark put his hand on my belly.

"Well at least we know now that she won't mind you having another baby."

I smiled, "True, she loves playing with other kids."

Mark rubbed my back and then kissed my head. Kayla soon came back with our drinks.

"So were you happy to see Steve?" Mark asked.

She nodded with a smile, "Yea I was very happy to see him. I just hate that I had to work today."

"Yea I know what you mean. Have you spoken to your sister?"

"Not since this morning actually, she told me Sam didn't come home last night."

We looked at each other and then back at her. "Do you know where he might be?"

She sighed, "The last time I spoke to him was when I saw him coming out of The Rodeo bar. After that I thought he went home."

"Was he with anyone?" I asked.

She shook her head, "I didn't see anyone…hold on I'll be right back."

When she left I looked at Mark, wondering if he had any idea of where he could be. He sighed and then shook his head. "I just hope he isn't doing something stupid."

"I hope so too. Kayleigh will be so pissed."

"Tell me about it. That girl can be quite the animal when she's mad."

I laughed and then went to find the kids so they could eat. After that they continued to play for a few hours until Jordan ran to me rubbing his eyes. Anya had ended up falling asleep in the play place and Mark had to go up and get her. On our way to drop Jordan off Kayleigh texted me and told me to hurry to the house because she had an emergency. Mark gladly stepped on the gas and we got there within five minutes.

When we got there, there were two police cars in front of her house. She was outside sitting on the porch crying her eyes out. I quickly grabbed Jordan and went to see what was going on.

"Kayleigh what's going on honey?" I asked her.

"Excuse me ma'am but are you family?" The police officer asked.

"Yes she is..." Kayleigh said as she took Jordan out of my hands. "Serena…he's gone…he's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?" I asked.

"Ma'am we found Sam dead behind his bar."

I gasped and then looked towards the truck. I waved at Mark to park the truck and to bring Anya inside the house. When He did I took both kids inside and put them in Jordan's room where they could sleep. Mark and I stayed outside on the porch with Kayleigh as she grieved her loss. I had never seen her so distraught before.

_Who in the world could have done this?_ I thought to myself. Sam was one of the sweetest guys in the world and yet someone saw fit to put his life on hold.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: **_**A Hard Day**_

Kayleigh ended up staying with us for a few days until she was sane enough to return home. I was nice enough to help her with the funeral plans while Mark called some of Sam's family members to tell them the bad news. Man…I had no idea how I could help Kayleigh get through this, but I did know that she would never be the same again.

The funeral was held almost a week later. Many of Sam's friends and family showed up to pay their final respects to this courageous man. I could hardly contain my own tears as Mark gave a speech about how wonderful Sam was to him when he first moved to Dallas. I had no idea that it was actually Sam who helped Mark get his business up and running. Though he looked very strong standing up there, I could tell that Mark was having the worst time keeping himself from crying. When he returned to his seat, Anya climbed into his lap and wiped away the single tear he had on his face.

"Don't worry daddy, uncle Sam is with the angels now." She said.

He smiled at her and then gave her a hug, "Thank you pumpkin, that makes daddy feel better."

She smiled and then climbed back onto my lap. I kissed the top of her head, thinking about how Sam was the greatest Godfather that she had. It really sucked that someone could be so ruthless and take his life away.

After the funeral we all went back to Kayleigh's house for some lunch. Rachel made us all some tacos and then some grill cheese sandwiches for the kids. Unfortunately for me, I had morning sickness and threw up the tacos.

"I'm so sorry Rachel, "I said as I held myself up over the toilet.

She laughed and shook her head, "no worries, I go through the same thing at home."

"Oh yea I forgot that you were pregnant too." I said as I got up to wash my mouth out in the sink. "This is definitely the worst trimester to go through."

She smiled and then helped me back out into the living room. Kayleigh was on the floor playing with Anya and Jordan. I guess that was her way of making herself feel better since she seemed to be having a wonderful time.

"So now what?" she said once I sat down the couch. "Are we going to try and figure out who did this to Sam?"

I was shocked to even hear her say that. We just buried her husband and yet she was ready to find his killer already. Mark looked at me and then at her, "I'm ready to start this investigation. Sam would want us to know who did this to him."

"Do we have any clues?" Dwayne asked. "We need to start somewhere,"

We all fell silent for a few minutes, each of us thinking of anything that could help solve this case. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and before we knew it, we were joined by Kayla and my brother. Kayla waved to everyone and then gave her sister a hug.

"How are you holding up?" she asked her.

Kayleigh sniffled, fighting back tears, "I'll be alright."

Kayla backed away from her and then joined Steve on the floor next to the couch I was sitting on.

"Hey Kayla…you said you seen Sam the night he died right?" Mark asked.

She nodded, "Yea he was coming out of The Rodeo bar."

"Did you see anything suspicious? I mean anything at all?" He asked.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember anything she could. "I don't know, the only thing I remember was him being a little drunk and delirious. I offered to drive him home but…."

"But?" Mark asked, looking at her intently.

She put her hand over her mouth, "Oh God…I should have known something was wrong."

"What do you mean?" Kayleigh asked.

"Sam told me he had a ride but he never said from who. I'm so sorry guys,"

"It's not your fault sis," Kayleigh assured her. "Besides for all we know he could have been killed somewhere else and then dumped behind the club."

"True…but what I don't understand is _who _would want to kill Sam?" Dwayne asked as Rachel took a seat next to him. "Kay, no one has a grudge against him do they?"

She shook her head and then took her son into her arms. He laid against her chest and she began rocking him. Anya began rubbing her own eyes and then looked at me. I held out my hands and told her to come on since I knew she had to be tired. When I got her settled into my arms she closed her eyes and played with a handful of her hair as she fell asleep. Mark looked down at her and smiled.

"So where should we start?" Rachel asked.

"At the scene of the crime," I said. "It's always a good place to start if you want some clues."

They all nodded in agreement. "When should we go?" Steve asked.

"Well first, we should each take a piece to solving this puzzle. The police won't be investigating very long so it'll be up to us to find as much information as possible." Mark said.

"Ok I'll ask around and see if I can find any leads from other people." Kayla said.

"Don't go by yourself, make sure Steve is with you at all times." Mark said.

She nodded.

"I'll go to the club and see if I can get the tapes from the surveillance cameras. They were bound to catch something." Kayleigh said.

"Sounds good, I guess we can go from there then." Mark said. "I hope that son of a bitch is ready for what I'm going to do if I get my hands on him."

"Yeah I feel the same way. Sam was the greatest friend I have ever had." Dwayne said as he rubbed Rachel's back.

Kayleigh then got up and carried her son upstairs. When she came back she sighed and then sat down in a chair, "I know I haven't seemed grateful for everything you guys are trying to do but I want to let you know that I'm glad that I have friends like all of you."

We all smiled at her. "Awe thanks girl," Rachel said.

"No really I really appreciate everything you all have done for me, it really means a lot."

Steve smiled, "Well we appreciate you letting us help you. I really admire how strong you're being especially with your son."

She nodded with a soft smile, "Yea, he's the reason I am staying sane at the moment. I know I have to move on at least for him."

We ended up talking a little while more until about eight o'clock that night. Mark and I said our good-byes and then headed home for the night. When we got home I was shocked to see a red envelope on our front door. I was expecting it to be addressed to me but it was addressed to Mark.

"Who do you think it's from?" I asked as we walked into the house.

"I'm not sure, there isn't a return address." He told me.

"Mommy I'm hungry," Anya said when I sat her down on the couch. She was still rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Alright honey I'll make you some food if you go start your bath water." I told her while I took off her shoes.

"Ok," she said as she hopped down off the couch and walked towards the steps.

Once she was up the stairs, Mark followed me into the kitchen and opened the envelope. He pulled out a card that read, "All good things…must come to an end…" in red letters.

"What the hell is this about?" he asked.

I shrugged and then took out a child TV dinner from the freezer for Anya. "Do you think it's about Sam?"

"I don't know…but seeing as how Sam just died I would believe so."

I took the note from his hand and examined it. It didn't look like anyone's hand writing that I knew of. "Well this person definitely knows where you live and they made no mention of me or Anya."

"Which means that this is something personal towards me."

I sat the note down as Anya came around the corner holding her favorite teddy bear. I watched her as she took a seat at the little table and waited patiently for me to make her TV dinner.

"Look babe, it's a little late and it's been a rough day for all of us. Let's worry about this tomorrow ok?"

He nodded and then kissed my cheek, "I'll be upstairs if you need me."

Before he went up the steps, Anya grabbed his pant leg so he could stop and talk to her. "What's up princess?"

"Will you tuck me in tonight? Mommy has been doing it a lot and I think it's your turn."

I smiled gently and then put her TV dinner in the microwave.

"Of course I will sweetie. Just hurry and eat your food ok?"

She nodded with a smile and then hugged him before he walked upstairs. As promised, after she finished her meal, he carried her to her room and tucked her in while I took a nice hot bath. Walking in heels all day made my feet completely sore. Once I was out of the tub and dressed, I walked into my bedroom where Mark was still getting ready for bed. He had stripped down to his boxers and then put on a pair of basketball shorts and a black beater.

"Are you ok?" I asked as I got in bed and began massaging his shoulders.

He sighed, "Honestly, I'm sad that Sam is gone, but I'm glad that he's in a better place."

I nodded and then kissed his cheek. "Yea I feel the same way,"

"I just can't believe he had to go like that you know? It's almost hard to believe."

I smirked, "Yea well you know what they say, the nicest people go in the worst ways."

He nodded, "True…I hope I never lose you or Anya…or the unborn one. I don't know what I'd do."

I pulled him back onto the bed so he could lie down next to me. "Don't think about that right now. Let's just focus on things one day at a time ok?"

He nodded and then kissed me gently before turning out the lights. "Goodnight pup,"

"Goodnight Markey,"


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: **_**Mysterious Gift**_

Things seemed to cool down after Sam's funeral. Kayla and Steve didn't find much information about Sam's death at the scene of the crime and Mark still wasn't sure as to who could have sent the note. In my head I just hoped that it wasn't Eric or anyone else that had a problem with me. I hated to be the reason behind Sam's death. Soon we all just stopped worrying about it and let the police try and solve the case.

Soon I had to get use to Mark leaving normally every weekend for a show in another city. It was kind of nice just hanging out around the house with Anya. It truly gave us time to bond a little more. Kayleigh and Jordan soon became frequent visitors whenever Mark left.

Two months later, we all went over to Steve's place for Kayla's baby shower. Mark was still out of town so I went with Anya. It was a beautiful sunny day so I got her dressed in a cute blue jean skirt and her favorite pink short sleeve top. As for me, I put on my white Capri's and light blue halter top. That's when I noticed the bulge on my belly. I didn't have one when I was pregnant with Anya, so it was nice to see one this time. I smiled softly and rubbed my belly.

"Mommy, is that where the baby is?" Anya asked me.

"Yes sweetie, it's inside me."

She turned her head to the side and scratched the top of it. "How does the baby come out?"

I froze and then smiled at her. "You'll learn about that when you're older ok?"

She nodded and then skipped downstairs to the living room while I finished getting ready. Before leaving the house, I made sure the alarm was set and that all the doors and windows were locked. Mark really didn't like leaving us home alone so he made sure that we took every precaution possible to stay safe.

When we made it to the baby shower, all of the guys were in the backyard talking and the girls were in the living room. Kayla was sitting in the middle of the couch with her hands on her much larger belly.

"Hey girl," Kayla greeted me as I walked in. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright just a little tired from running around with the little one." I told her as I released Anya so she could play with Jordan. I then took a seat in one of the empty chairs.

Rachel and Kayleigh greeted me soon after and then we started a huge conversation.

"So what do you think you're having?" Rachel asked Kayla.

She smiled, "Oh I know what I'm having, Steve doesn't know though."

"So what is it?" Kayleigh asked.

"A girl," she said.

"Awe," we all said together. "Are you excited?" I asked.

She nodded her head and then picked up one of the gifts from Kayleigh. "He said he's always wanted a daughter."

"Well that's nice that he's going to get his wish." Rachel said. "I have no clue what I'm having yet."

"Yea me neither," I said. "I can't wait until next month so I can find out."

Kayla smiled and then asked if we were ready to open up the gifts. We all agreed and then Kayleigh left to go get the guys. When they joined us, Dwayne sat next to Rachel and Steve had Kayla sit between his legs on the floor. They were definitely a cute couple. The first gift she opened was a white teddy bear marked from Kayleigh and Sam.

"He bought it a few days before he died," Kayleigh said softly. I could tell that it must have been hard for her to even say his name.

"Well thanks girl and of course to Sam too," Kayla said as she looked up to the ceiling.

The next gift was from Mark and I. It was a set of bottles, blankets, and diapers that I knew she would need. "Thanks girl, and tell Mark I said thanks next time you see him."

I nodded and then picked up Anya who had ran in the house crying because she fell. I kissed her brush burn and she stopped crying almost immediately. "Are you ok sweetie?"

She sniffled and then laid her head against my chest. "It hurts mommy,"

"I know but I promise it will get all better ok?" I told her as I reached into my purse and pulled out a star decorated band-aid.

She nodded and then let me put on the band-aid. "See? All better,"

I kissed her cheek and then sent her on her way to play again. "I swear she has Mark's strength." I said.

"Yea she does," Rachel agreed. "Ok now my present!"

Kayla smiled as Dwayne handed her the gift. "This is kind of heavy." She said as she sat it down on the floor and began to open it. We all giggled when she opened it up to reveal a walker.

"Thanks you two," Steve said.

"No problem."

As the day went on we shared a lot of laughs and played a lot of games. However, no one was ready for what happened just as Anya and I were getting ready to head home.

"You two be careful getting home. Call me when you do," Steve told us.

"Alright, I will,"

"Uncle Steve, can I come visit tomorrow?" Anya asked.

He smiled at her, "You can come visit anytime princess,"

She smiled and then took my hand so we could leave. Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Kayla said.

"No I'll get it, I'm heading this way anyway," I told her.

I walked up to the door and looked out the peep hole. There wasn't anyone there so I slowly opened the door and looked around. On the porch, there was a black box with Steve's name on it in red letters.

"Oh my gosh…Steve there's a box out here with your name on it." I told him.

He looked just as confused as everyone else. "Who would send me something this late?"

My face grew pale, "Maybe the same person that sent Mark a card two months ago."

Steve looked around at everyone before going out onto the porch to see what was in the box. Kayleigh took the kids while the rest of us went out with Steve.

"Open it slow man, it could be anything." Dwayne said nervously.

Steve nodded and then slowly began to open the box. A foul smell erupted from inside once he opened one corner. We all covered our noses and then watched as he opened the box completely. Rachel let out a shriek of terror when she realized what was inside.

"You've got to be shitting me…" Steve said as he stared at the contents of the box. "That sick son of a bitch!"

"Kayleigh call the police!" I yelled to her not believing what I was seeing.

Inside of the box was my brother's ex-wife's head….with the words "All good things….must come to an end…" written on her forehead.

"Oh my gosh…that's what Mark's card said when he got it…this is all too.." with that I stumbled backwards and fainted.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: **

"Mark you need to come home please," I said through my tears. I was taken home by Steve who stayed with me until I woke up. He was even nice enough to put Anya to bed for me. When he left I got out my cell and called Mark who was still awake to my surprise.

"What's going on babe?" He asked sounding very worried.

I cried even harder before telling him about the sick gift that was sent to my brother. He was silent for awhile and then finally told me that he would be home by the morning. After I hung up the phone I got in the tub and cried some more. Why was this person targeting my loved ones? Why not me? This was getting scarier by the month and I really didn't want to sit around and wait to see what was next.

That next morning, Mark came home and embraced me tightly. "It's alright pup, everything is going to be alright."

"But Erica Mark…Erica…" I said. "I mean who could have done this to her and why would they send it to my brother?"

"That's obvious pup, she was he ex." He said as we settled down on the couch. "You know I was thinking about all this while I was away…you don't suppose that Eric could be in on this do you?"

I thought about it for a moment, "he could be…but he doesn't know where we live."

"True but he found us before." Mark said. "Listen, I'm not trying to scare you Serena. I just think it's a possibility that he is in on this you know?"

I nodded, "Yea. I just hope he isn't." I looked towards Anya who was playing on the floor with her dolls. She looked so sweet and innocent. I didn't know what I would do if anything happened to her.

"Look, I told my boss about what's been happening and he gave me some time off so I could be here with you."

I smiled, "That's good, I really like it better when you're here."

He smiled back at me, "I like being home too."

That afternoon we spent most of our time playing with Anya and watching movies. It really helped bring the mood down a lot. Soon I was back to my normal bouncy self…until later on that night.

I put Anya to bed around eight o'clock that night and then went to take a bath with Mark.

"Get on in here girl," he told me when I walked into the bathroom. He was already in the bathtub with his arms spread out, surrounded by bubbles, waiting for me to join him. I licked my lips and then relieved myself of my robe. Mark licked his lips and watched hungrily as I got into the tub with him. I sat down next to him and then kissed his lips.

"This feels amazing," I told him as I laid my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me pulling me closer to his warm body.

"I wish you knew how much I miss you and Anya when I'm not here."

I looked up at him, "We miss you too Markey."

He kissed me softly on my lips, "I know you do."

I smiled at him and then turned and grabbed my wash rag, "Will you get my back?"

He laughed and then told me to turn around. I loved how gentle he was with my body. It gave me a sense of warmth and comfort from him.

After the bath, we got out and got dressed and was about to lay down when we heard an ear splitting scream coming from Anya's room. We hoped out of bed and quickly ran to find out what happened to her. When Mark opened the door, Anya wasn't in her bed. We looked around the room calling after her frantically.

"Anya! Anya! Where are you baby?"

"I'm in here!" she cried from the closet. When we looked, the doors to her closet had been tied together from the outside with a rope. There was also a message written on the doors in red paint. "All good things…WILL come to an end."

I quickly untied the rope and swung open the doors. Anya was sitting against the back wall of her closet in a fetal position crying to herself. I quickly pulled her into my arms and cried with her.

"It's Ok baby, it's alright." I said as Mark crouched down next to me and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Come here pumpkin," Mark said to her. She looked at him and then threw herself into his arms.

"Daddy, I don't know how I got in there. I don't like the dark." She cried.

"I know honey," he said as he stood up with her in his arms and walked her back out to her room. "You're going sleep with mommy and daddy tonight ok?"

She nodded and her tears came to a halt. I got up and wiped my eyes. I couldn't believe that bastard got into our house.

"Serena take her into our room, I'm going to call the police ok?"

I nodded and took Anya into my arms. We went back to my room where I locked all the windows and closed the curtains. The police arrived almost ten minutes later and Anya was sleeping in our bed by then. Mark and I talked to the police who then conducted a search around Anya's room. They then had their CSI's come in and look for evidence of the intruder.

"Ok we found some fingerprints on your daughter's window and we found a paintbrush ditched into your garden with fingerprints. We are going to need your fingerprints to rule you out as suspects ok?"

We both agreed and gave him our fingerprints.

"Have you guys had any other strange things happen besides this?" the chief asked.

"Well recently my brother had a head sent to him with the same message written on the victim's forehead and Mark received a card with that same message before that." I told him.

"Yes I remember Steve bringing in the head. Do you still have the card?"

Mark nodded and pointed to the mantle where he left it. The chief walked over and picked up the card. "Do you guys have any clue as to who might want to hurt you?"

"Just my ex boyfriend but we thought he was done with all this."

"What's his name?"

"Eric Harrison."

The chief looked at me a little puzzled. "That's strange…they just found Eric Harrison in Dallas."

"What do you mean they found him?" Mark asked.

"Well..They found him dead about a month ago…I thought you were told?"

I looked at Mark in total horror. "If this isn't him then who could this be?"

Mark sighed, "I have no clue."

"Don't worry you guys, we will catch this person I promise."

Mark stood up and shook his hand, "Thank you sir, we'll be in touch,"

"Just doing my job Mr. Callaway, you two have a nice night."

Mark walked him out and then took my hand and pulled me up into his warm embrace. "I don't know who is doing this but I promise we will get them."

I smiled, "I believe you, and that's why I'm going to help you."

"Serena no-"

"-Mark I need to be strong for this family just as much as you do. I'm tired of sitting back and playing the damsel in distress. Our daughter needs both of us to be strong."

He smiled and then kissed me with deep passion, "You turn me on every time you get tough like that."

I smiled, "Well since our daughter is currently in our bed I think we should hold out for tonight."

He poked out his lips, "Awe please baby? We can always go in the bathroom,"

I giggled, "Mark after tonight do you really want to leave her out of our sight?"

He sighed, "I guess you're right…but you're totally mine after Anya leaves for school tomorrow."

"Yes sir baby,"

With that we went upstairs and got in the bed with our little girl.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**_**A Close Call**_

Anya wasn't able to sleep in her room for almost two weeks after that incident. Mark and I worked hard to pick up some clues to help us find this mad person who was trying to ruin our lives. We had almost lost hope until we got a call from the chief of police one morning after we sent Anya off to school.

"Well we got the fingerprint analysis back and to be honest…I'm really confused."

Mark looked at me, "What do you mean?"

The chief sighed, "The fingerprints came back and they all matched…to Erica."

I looked at Mark with a blank look on my face. "That doesn't make any sense sir, Erica's dead."

"Yes I know, and that's not all…we ran a history search on her and it turns out that she has a twin sister who was reported missing almost two months ago."

I felt chills run up my spine. "This is all starting to make a little more sense…but something is still confusing me…why would Erica's sister kill Erica?"

"Maybe she knew what she was planning to do?" The cheif said.

"Yes but why would Erica's sister want to hurt us? We've never met her." I said.

Mark sighed, "Wait…maybe we've got it all wrong. What if Erica killed her own sister and sent her head to Steve knowing that we would assume that it was her."

"That's true…we didn't know that Erica had a twin up until now…so it makes sense."

The chief spoke up, "But why is she doing this to you?"

I smiled, "Well me and her _never_ got along."

"Oh please, she never got along with any of us." Mark said. "I just never thought that she would take it this far you know?"

"Yea I know what you mean." The chief said.

I sighed, "I can't believe she touched my little girl…"

"I believe it…Erica has always been a bitch."

The chief laughed, "Well we are going to do everything we can to find her Ok?"

"Ok thanks chief."

As soon as he hung up Mark turned and punched a wall, scaring me half to death. "Sorry babe, I needed to get that off my chest."

"It's alright hun, are you ok?"

"No of course not, do you know what this means? She murdered Sam, her own sister, and she touched our child!" Mark was infuriated and I could tell that if he got his hands on Erica he would definitely kill her. "Who knows what she's planning next."

"Well let's look at everything she has done. She took Sam away from Kayleigh so I think she's done there."

"Then she sent my brother her sister's head…"

"And she put Anya in the closet and locked her there." Mark cringed when he was saying that. "So all that leaves is…"

"Dwayne and Rachel…she hasn't done anything to them yet."

Without hesitation Mark got on the phone and called Rachel and Dwayne and explained the situation to them. He then had them come and stay with us until the police were able to catch Erica.

They ended up coming over that night. I set up a guest room for the two of them and helped them move right in.

"Can I help you out in here?" Rachel asked while I was cleaning the kitchen that afternoon. The guys were in the living room playing with Anya, who was coloring pictures of the two of them.

"Sure girl come on in."

She smiled at me and grabbed a towel and a bottle of Pine Sol. I looked at her slowly growing belly and then back at my own. "Girl can you believe we are both pregnant right now?"

She giggled, "It doesn't surprise me actually, we do almost everything together as it is."

"Yes this is true."

"So do you really think Erica will come for us?"

I sighed, "It makes sense. She's attacked everyone in our group so far and it's only a matter of time before she does come for you guys."

Rachel shook her head, "Well I say bring it...Bitch."

We shared a laugh and continued talking about our men and my precious little girl.

"You don't know how bad I actually want to see Erica after she put her hands on my god daughter…" Rachel said. "She's so lucky we are pregnant…"

I laughed, "Oh please, we can tag team that hoe!"

We both laughed and then I heard our doorbell ring. "I'll get it," I said as I walked to the front door to get it. I looked through the peephole and saw Kayla and Steve standing on the front porch. I opened the door with a smile and gave them both a hug.

"How are you doing sis?"

"I'm alright, just trying to focus on being a mommy for now."

He nodded and was about to step pass me when something splattered all over my face and my shirt. When I touched my face and looked at my hand there was blood all over my hand. I looked at Steve who had a blank stare on his face and blood coming from the side of his head.

"Hey sis…your shirt…" he said before he collapsed in front of me.

"Steve! Steve please talk to me! Don't do this to me please! " I screamed as I fell to my knees and pulled him into my lap. "No! No! Someone help me please!"

Everyone ran to the door and surrounded me, "Oh my God! Someone call an ambulance! Steve's been shot!" Rachel screamed.

Dwayne quickly got on the phone and called the police and an ambulance. They arrived within seconds and I rode to the hospital with my brother. He was rushed into the emergency room and I was forced to wait in the waiting room. Mark and everyone else along with Kayleigh and Jordan arrived soon after. I just buried my face in Mark's chest and cried my eyes out.

"Mommy, is Uncle Steve going to be alright?" Anya asked me.

I looked down at her and smiled slightly, "I hope so sweetie..I really hope so,"

She threw her arms around my legs and hugged me tightly.

"Um guys…you guys!" Kayla cried out. We all looked at her and noticed that there were streams of blood and water running down her leg. "I think my water just broke…"

"Oh my gosh she's right!" Kayleigh screamed. "Can I get a nurse or a doctor over here! My sister is in labor!"

A few nurses raced over to her and told her to keep breathing. One nurse brought her a wheelchair and took her over to the delivery room. While they got her prepped for delivery, another doctor came out to inform us that Steve was Ok.

"The bullet only scrapped his skin and he lost consciousness because of all the blood he lost."

"So he's going to be Ok?" I asked.

"Yes ma'am he is. He can actually go home tonight if he wants."

Mark smiled, "Oh he can't yet, his girl in the delivery room getting ready to have their first child."

"Great I'll go inform him at once."

I was so relieved that Steve was OK. It really would have ruined my life if Erica would have succeeded in taking him from me. At least now we could go home knowing that this ended on a good note today. My brother got to go be by his girlfriend's side while she gave birth to their little boy. They named him Stephen Lamont Austin and he was truly a beautiful sight. I just hoped that Erica was done trying to ruin Steve's life.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: **_**Another Twist**_

Steve and Kayla came home from the hospital almost a week later. Their new son Stephen was the cutest little thing I had ever seen in my life. I visited them almost every weekend when Mark started leaving again three weeks later. By now I was almost four and a half months along in my pregnancy and I was really starting to poke. Anya rubbed my belly every morning before she left for school saying, "Bye bye baby,"

Things seemed to cool down for a little while after Steve was attacked, but that didn't stop us from being on the lookout. Whenever Mark came home, he made sure that we were always safe no matter what. Even Dwayne became more protective over me and Rachel.

"Hey girls, I'm going down to the basement to work out for a bit." He told us one Friday afternoon. Rachel and I were cleaning up the house, trying to get it ready for Anya's sixth birthday party that was later on. Mark would be coming back soon to surprise her.

"Alright, if we need you we'll let you know." Rachel said as she continued sweeping the floor. He smiled at her and then walked over and kissed her cheek and her abnormally large belly. We were both pretty big for four and a half months but I guess that's what you get sometimes.

"Ok girls, see you in a little while."

We waved as he headed downstairs for his workout. "Girl I have no idea what I'm going to do with him."

I giggled, "It's alright, sometimes I have no clue what I'm going to do with Mark."

"It's kind of nice you know, having them be so protective of us? It's like we have our own little security blanket."

"Yea you're right, it just sucks sometimes when Mark isn't here you know?"

Rachel fell silent and then gasped, "Wait a second…have you noticed something?"

"About what?"

"You know, about the things that's been happening to everyone lately,"

I thought about what she might have been thinking but I came to know conclusion.

"Think about it Serena, have you noticed that none of us girls have been physically hurt at all?"

"Yea,"

"Well what if everything that's been happening is for us to hurt emotionally? You know…Erica wants us to feel what she's been feeling ever since she lost Steve."

I thought about it for a second, "You know what…you could be right. She's hurting our men in order to get back at us. But the only problem there is she lost Steve on her own. Why try to make us feel that pain?"

Rachel shrugged, "Maybe she's delusional?"

I chuckled, "I knew that when I first met her."

She smiled, "True, but I still feel like we are missing something here."

"You're right. I'm still trying to figure out how Eric could have been dead this long and I wasn't told about it as soon as it happened."

"Yea that's odd. The chief knew you had a restraining order out against him didn't he?"

I nodded, "This is all so weird, I wish I knew what we were not seeing here."

"Me too, but for now let's finish cleaning up for that little princess of yours."

I agreed and then continued washing the dishes. Later on I went out and bought some decorations for the party. I got lots of balloons, a banner that said "Happy Birthday Anya, and her cake with her picture on it. As I was putting everything in the car, someone came up behind me and put a plastic bag over my head. They then shoved me into another car and drove me to some other place.

When the car stopped, the plastic bag was pulled off of my head and I was face to face with the person accused of nearly killing my brother.

"Erica?" I said.

She looked at me with a tear stained face. Her hair was all over her head and she was wearing raggedy clothes. "Serena, before you say anything please let me explain myself."

I was going to say something but the look on her face told me that she was very distraught and something was very wrong with her.

"I haven't been killing anyone. I swear I haven't." she said. "About a month after you moved away I was attacked by some guy. He knocked me unconscious and kept me locked in a basement for a very long time. He even forced me to tell him where you moved to. Before I knew it, I was hearing rumors about Sam being dead."

"It's not a rumor…he is dead." I said softly.

"Oh my God…Serena, this guy told me that if he couldn't have what he wanted then he would make everyone involved in his unhappiness suffer. That's when he brought my twin sister to the house and killed her right in front of me."

I put my hand over my mouth, "Why?"

"To make it look as if I were dead. When you guys figured out that I had a twin he changed his plan to make it look as if I was the one committing the murders. He paid some police officer off to tell you guys that he was dead too."

Now it all made sense…Eric was the one after us after all. "Where is he now?"

"I don't know…he took me back to Dallas and left me at my house. I haven't seen him since."

I sighed, "You look a mess girl…is there anything I can do?"

"Yes. Just tell everyone what I said. I need to go into hiding until you catch him. Just promise me one thing before I take you back."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Don't let him kill anyone else, please"

I didn't know how I could keep her promise but I knew I had to do something. I agreed and then she took me back to my car. As soon as I got in I started crying. I then started up the car and headed back to my place.

"Girl I was getting worried about you," Rachel said as she came outside to greet me.

I was still crying when I got out of the car. "Rachel I need to talk to everyone at some point…Erica is innocent."

"What do you mean?"

I explained what happened to me as we unloaded the car. Dwayne joined in on the conversation soon after.

"So Eric is still alive then?"

"Yes. I just don't know where he is."

Dwayne sighed and then got out his cell phone. "I'm going to call Steve and Kayla to let them know."

"I'll call Kayleigh," Rachel said.

"Yea and I'll call Mark. He needs to know about this."

We all made the separate phone calls letting everyone know what was going on. Now that we knew we couldn't trust the police it was time to take matters into our own hands. Mark ended up coming home as soon as Anya's bus arrived. To my surprise, Anya didn't run straight for Mark, instead she ran to me with tears flowing down her face.

"What's wrong honey? You're supposed to be happy to be older." I said.

"It's not that mommy…the janitor hurt me."

I froze and looked up at Mark, whose face went from happy to completely pissed. "What do you mean the janitor hurt you?" he asked.

She cried harder, "I'm sorry daddy; he said he had some candy for me and he took me to his closet..."

Tears were forming in my eyes by now, "Oh my God…honey did he touch you?"

She looked at me and then at Mark, "He told me I had to so I could protect you guys."

"Ok baby, it's alright." I told her as I picked her up and carried her into the house. Mark followed close behind me.

As soon as we got in the house, he slammed the door shut, scaring the hell out of Rachel. "The party is cancelled."

"Why what happened," Dwayne asked.

"Listen bro, we need to go down to that school and find this bastard that touched my daughter!"

"He did what?"

"Sweetie what's his name?" I asked her while Mark and Dwayne talked in the kitchen.

She shrugged, "He only said that he should have been my daddy…and now he is."

In that instant I hugged her tightly and balled my eyes out. Rachel cried with me, not believing her ears.

"Did you tell someone at the school sweetie?" Rachel asked her.

"Yes but they thought I was making it up," she cried. "Mommy is daddy mad at me?"

I shook my head, "No he isn't sweetheart, he's just upset because that man touched you inappropriately. "

"I don't want to go back to that school mommy,"

"It's alright sweetie, mommy and daddy are going to take care of this. You just go upstairs and take a bath Ok?"

She nodded and then walked up the stairs.

"I can't believe this Rachel…she's six years old!" I cried.

Rachel put her arms around me, "It's alright girl. Eric wanted a war and now he's got one."

"But why go through her? Again!" I screamed. "I feel like I failed as a parent to keep her safe!"

"Shh, I know sweetie, but you didn't. That school failed to keep an eye on her and what's worse…they didn't believe her. Calm down, don't forget you're pregnant still ok?"

I nodded and then took deep breaths. We had to catch this madman…and I knew just how to do it.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: **

"Serena I can't let you do this, not alone." Mark argued with me that night. I had devised a plan to get a hold of Eric and deal with him once and for all. Mark didn't like my plan at all because it didn't really involve him in any way except one.

"I'm sorry honey, but I have to do this myself."

"Why? What happens if something bad happens and I have no way to get to you? What do I tell our little girl if that happens?"

I sighed, to be honest I had completely forgot about Anya and I knew Mark was right. "So what do you suppose we do?"

He thought about it for a second, "Ok, what if we go to some public place and pretend to break up?"

"I'm not following you," I said.

"Think about it, Eric's greatest desire is for you to hurt as much as he's hurting. If I pretend to leave you he'll be sure to move in for you."

"But what happens after that?" I asked.

He took a deep breath, "Let's just say I'm ready to go to jail…he touched our little girl and made her feel used at a young age. He has to pay for what he's done."

I sighed, "I know he does, but I don't think I can allow you to kill him."

He looked at me as if I had just sniffed crack. "What do you mean _allow_ me…I'm just going to do it."

"But why though? Don't you realize that if you kill him you will never see your little girl again? You'll lose everything you worked hard to build."

He sighed, "Yea you're right, I'm sorry baby. I'm just frustrated that he keeps getting to her like this."

"I know I am too, but the best thing we can do is capture him and then hand him over to a higher power. It's a good thing the chief got fired…I would let you kill him if he was still employed."

He laughed, "You got a point there…he would probably let him out the minute we turned him in."

I smiled and then laid down in the bed next to him. He kissed my forehead and then bent down and kissed my belly. "I'm so happy we are having another baby."

"Me too." I said.

"Did you find out what this one was?" he asked as he rubbed a spot where the baby kicked.

"Not yet, that appointment is next week." I told him.

"I'm off next week actually, am I invited to your appointment?" he whispered into my ear.

I laughed, "Of course you are, this is your child you know."

"Ooo, are you being a smart ass right now?"

I nodded, "Yep."

"Well you know what happens to smart ass girls like you don't you?" he asked as he slid his hands up my shirt and massaged one of my breasts.

"What?"

He kissed my neck and then my lips before whispering, "They get punished…"

I giggled and then kissed him softly. "Oh please punish me deadman…I want to feel your wrath,"

He licked his lips and then shut off his lamp, filling the room with complete darkness. "Are you sure you want this?"

I slid off my panties and then my shirt, "I _know_ I want this baby,"

He got himself undressed and then climbed on top of me. "Hold on tight…it's going to be a bumpy ride."

Slowly, he slid himself deep inside of my wet walls. I arched my back and released a quiet moan from my throat. Soon, he had my body soaked with pleasure and he had me screaming his name. Good thing we had sound proof walls…otherwise we would have woke up Anya and our other house guests.

That next morning we took our usual shower together and then got dressed for the day. My belly seemed to look slightly bigger than it was the other night and I guessed it was because of the rough love making Mark put on me.

"Hey daddy can I talk to you?" Anya asked Mark while I was making breakfast.

He put down his newspaper and picked her up, placing her gently on his lap. "What's up cutie?"

She frowned and then looked down at her lap, "I think I should be grounded for what happened yesterday…"

"Why honey?" he asked as he lifted her chin so she could look him in the eye.

She sighed. I could tell that she was fighting back tears and I didn't blame her. My poor little girl was distraught.

"Listen, what happened to you could have happened to any one of those kids sweetie. It's not your fault that he did those things to you. Understand?"

She nodded, "I just feel like a bad girl daddy."

"Well you're not, I promise."

She hugged him tightly and he kissed her cheek, "That man will never hurt you again, I promise."

After the hug she hopped down from his lap and then went into the living room to watch cartoons. Normally she would draw pictures, but I guessed it would be awhile before she started that back up again.

"So when should we go through with our plan?" I asked Mark.

He shrugged and then looked at Anya, "My guess is very soon. I can't wait around here for him to do something else to our child…or even you."

I nodded and then sat a plate of eggs, bacon, and waffles in front of him. "Anya come get your waffles sweetie."

She hopped up and ran towards me. "Thank you mommy,"

"You're welcome. Make sure you use a napkin too," She nodded as she walked back to her seat.

"Where are Rachel and Dwayne?" I asked.

"Oh they went to Rachel's doctor appointment this morning. They should be back shortly."

I froze, "Rachel told me that her appointment was tomorrow though…are you sure that's where they are?"

"Yea, Dwayne told me he got a call from the doctor asking Rachel to come in a day early."

I felt my heart starting to pound, "Mark…doctor's normally don't ask you to come in a day earlier. They schedule you for a later date."

"What are you saying?"

"You've got to call Dwayne and make sure they are Ok," I said, feeling myself beginning to panic.

Mark nodded and pulled out his cell phone and called Dwayne. When he didn't pick up, he tried Rachel's phone and she didn't answer either. "That's really weird. Neither of them picked up."

I pulled out my cell phone, and tried Rachel's phone. On the third ring someone picked up but it wasn't Rachel.

"Hahaha…desperate to find your friends Serena?"

"Eric? Where are they?"

He laughed again, "I'll tell you if you can come out to play…"

I looked at Mark who was out of his seat by now. "When and where?"

"Wait wait wait…I want to lay a little ground rules first my dear. First of all you come alone. If I see that big muscle husband of yours anywhere near you I'll kill them both got it?"

I closed my eyes, "Got it."

"Two, no weapons…and don't call the police. Disobey me and they die…understand?"

I sighed, "Crystal clear."

"Good, now I want you to meet me at the old hardware store in downtown San Antonio at four o'clock sharp. No questions asked. I don't want you late at all do you understand?"

"Yes…"

"Then let the games begin…oh and tell Anya I said I had a wonderful time getting to know her…"

Out of pure rage I threw my phone at the wall, shattering it in half. Anya jumped up and ran into Mark's arms.

"He's got them Mark…and he wants me to come and meet him alone or he'll kill them." I said.

"Well what do you think we should do?" he asked.

I thought about it for a second and then looked into my daughter's eyes. "Anya honey, I need you to go upstairs so I can talk to your dad Ok?"

She nodded and hopped out of his arms. When she went up the steps I explained the situation to Mark.

"Serena I don't want you to go alone…please."

"If I don't show up alone, he will kill them both. I have to do this Mark."

He turned around and punched the wall. He then pulled me into a tight hug. "I don't know what I'm going to do if he hurts you."

"He won't babe, I have a plan."

"You do?"

"Yes…it's going to be tricky but I know I can pull this off."

He sighed and then looked at me. For the first time I saw tears of fear in his eyes. "If you don't come back alive…he will pay severely for this understand?"

I nodded and then kissed him passionately. "I love you Mark…take care of Anya Ok?"

"Don't talk like that. You're coming back," he said.

I smiled, "I know I am…trust me."

He hugged me again and then kissed me deeply. I didn't know if I was coming back alive or not but I didn't want to risk letting my family getting hurt. When Mark released me I went upstairs and went into the bedroom and made a quick call to my brother and then one to Kayleigh. After that, I got myself mentally prepared for this battle and then went to talk to my daughter.

"Mommy, do you have to go?"

"Yes I do sweetie but I'll be right back. Just promise me that you won't be sad or cry."

She nodded and then hugged me tightly. "I love you mommy,"

"I love you too sweetie."

With that I said my final good-bye to Mark and then left to go meet with my greatest enemy ever.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: **_**The Trick**_

As I drove down the streets of San Antonio I only had one thing on my mind…was I going to die? Eric had taken me through so much torture and it was time to finally face him and possibly take him down. I didn't really understand the significance of calling me away from Mark and Anya but I was kind of glad they didn't have to see what was about to happen.

I pulled into a parking space that was across the street from the abandoned hardware store. I got out and didn't bother locking my doors just in case I needed to make a quick escape. I took a deep breath and checked my watch, it was 3:57pm. I walked across the street and then walked around the back of the building to where the back door was. To my surprise it was wide open and there was a note on it that said "come on in,"

I slowly crept into the place expecting it to be dark, but it wasn't. There were several lights on and in the middle of the room was Rachel and Dwayne. They were tied up with duck tape over their mouths. I quickly ran up to Rachel and pulled the tape from her mouth.

"Serena! It's a trap!" she screamed and the door behind me slammed shut. I got up and ran to it, trying frantically to open it but it wouldn't budge.

"Serena he's going to kill Mark and Anya! You have to get out of here!" she yelled. I ran back to her and helped her get untied. We then worked together and got Dwayne untied.

"It may be too late," Dwayne said sadly.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I tried to look for a way out of the hardware store.

He sighed, "He said that he had planted a bomb somewhere in your house and as soon as you found us…he pressed the button that triggered it."

I felt my body grow cold. "W-what?"

"I'm sorry Serena, we tried to tell you but he had us both tied up while he was on the phone with you."

I fell to my knees, "how could I be so stupid? He wanted me to leave the house so he could get to them…so I could hurt as bad as he was hurting. It all makes sense. He's been after me the entire time and only me. Anyone who was part of my life is just a casualty in his way."

Rachel got down on her knees next to me and put her arms around me. "Don't worry Serena…everything will be Ok I promise."

"No it won't," I cried. "I just lost the only two people in this world who completed my life. I can't believe I let that bastard take them from me."

We sat in the hardware store for maybe another hour before we heard someone open the door from the outside. We stood up slowly as the door creaked open and Eric stepped in with a big smile on his face.

"Well well well…it looks like you missed the fireworks baby," he said as he walked towards me. "Yep, that little family of yours is history…now we can finally have a little family of our own."

"I will never go back with you," I said. "Mark is my husband and always will be,"

"Shut up!" he said as he hit me across the face. I fell to my knees and sobbed.

"Leave her alone you jerk!" Dwayne yelled.

Eric pulled out a gun and pointed it at him, "Stay out of this pretty boy. I don't want to have Rachel raise her baby without a father like poor Kayliegh has to."

"You spineless bastard!" I cried.

"No that would be your husband my dear, clearly he didn't care for your safety if he let you come here all by yourself, leaving himself wide open to be blown to bits."

I stood up and he pointed the gun at me. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment my dear…and now that's it's finally here, I really would much rather kill you."

"What's stopping you?" I asked boldly. "You've already killed my family, so why not kill me too."

"Because making you suffer would be that much sweeter."

Just as he was about to shoot Rachel another gunshot rang through the building hitting him in the back. He dropped his gun and turned around slowly to see who it was. To my surprise it was Kayleigh. She had tears running down her face and the gun pointed straight at Eric. She walked closer to us and then shot him in the leg. He fell down on one knee and looked up at her.

"You…"

"Yes. Me…you killed my husband and now I kill you. Justice is severed."

He smiled, "And then w-what? Do you think the police will let you off they knew you killed me for justice?"

She cocked her gun and then pointed it at his skull. "Seeing you die would be worth it."

She was about to squeeze the trigger when Dwayne interfered. "No Kay! Don't do it. You have a little boy to take care of think about that."

Tears were falling from her eyes fast and furiously. "I can't let him get away with this though! He ruined my life!"

"I know sweetie I know, but this isn't the way. Sam wouldn't have wanted you to do this."

Her hand was shaking now, "I-I,"

"Just give me the gun and then call the police to come pick him up alright?"

She bit her bottom lip and then slowly handed the gun to Dwayne. "Good girl."

"Yes…good girl," Eric said before she kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious. She then got on the phone and called the police like he told her to.

Once they arrived, Eric was taken into the ambulance so he could be treated and then arrested. As for me, Rachel, and Dwayne, we got in my car and took a silent trip back to my house. Upon our arrival, there were many fire trucks and ambulances outside of the house. It was completely in gulfed in flames. I got out of my car slowly and watched as it burned down to the ground. I was about to go and ask the head firefighter if they had found my husband and my child's bodies inside when I heard the most beautiful sound in my ears.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

I turned to my right where the ambulance was and saw Anya running right towards me. I gasped and bent down to receive her hug with tears flowing from my eyes. I kissed her head three times and squeezed her tightly. "I'm so glad you're alright." I told her.

"Daddy saved me mommy,"

"He did? Well where is he?"

She looked over my shoulder and pointed towards our neighbor's fence. When I turned around, he was leaning against it with a smirk on his face. I put down Anya and she ran into Rachel's arms. I then walked up to Mark and threw myself into his arms. He held me tightly as I cried on his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you," I said. "I was so upset when he told me you two were gone. I swear I'll listen to you from now on,"

He laughed, "It's alright pup, I'm not mad at all. I'm just glad you're safe and that our little girl finally has a big smile on her face."

"But Mark, our house-"

I was cut off by his sweet lips caressing mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on as he deepened the kiss. "You were saying?"

"I'm glad to be in your arms again."

"That's what I thought." I hugged him once more and then we went and joined the others.

"So tell us, just how did you get out of the house in time?" Rachel said when we all got in the car. Rachel and Dwayne decided to let us move in with them in Dallas until we could get a new house built.

"Well I went upstairs to check on Anya and when I got to her room I seen something in the closet that wasn't there before…so I scooped her up and ran outside. Before I knew it, the entire house went up in flames."

"Damn, well I'm glad you have good eyes," Dwayne said. "I would have lost it if he would have succeeded."

"Ha, probably not as much as Serena, she was so distraught when we told her what Eric was planning." Rachel said.

Mark sighed, "Yea I just wish I could have gotten my hands on that crazy man."

"Don't worry Markey; I got him good for you." Kayleigh said.

"Yes she did, kicked him right in the head." I said.

Mark high fived her and then we all fell silent for the trip home.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**_**The Happy Ending**_

It took us three months before we had a brand new house to move into. We decided to stay in Dallas where we could be close to everyone. Kayleigh finally found a new boyfriend name Chris. He helped her take care of Jordan very well and treated her like a queen. Rachel and I had our baby showers together almost a week after we moved into our new house. She ended up going into labor during the baby shower and gave birth to twin girls that she named Malaya Denise Johnson and Alicia Marie Johnson.

Almost three weeks later it was my turn…and to our surprise, we ended up having one boy and another girl. Mark named the boy Tyler Marquis Callaway and I named the girl Meaghan Elisabeth Callaway. Anya was very helpful when we brought the babies home. She played with them, fed them and even helped put them to sleep a few nights. I couldn't of asked for a better daughter.

Mark continued on in the WWE. He soon became a very popular character that all learned to fear and respect at the same time. My life was now in perfect bliss and I was finally able to relax.


End file.
